In his acceptance speech for the 2017 Profile in Courage Award, former President Barack Obama spoke about the meaning of courage and how it was embodied by the members of Congress who helped him to pass the Affordable Care Act.

Obama accepted the 2017 Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Dorchester on Sunday, for his achievements in the White House. In addition to the ACA, Obama was honored for restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba and his effort to fight climate change.

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"Courage, President Kennedy knew, requires something more than just the absence of fear," Obama said. "Any fool can be fearless. Courage, true courage, derives from that sense of who we are."

The award was created in 1989 by members of President Kennedy’s family, and is given to public servants who have made courageous decisions without regard for personal consequences.

In his speech, Obama praised the courage exhibited by the men and women in congress who voted to pass the ACA.

"There was a reason why health care reform had not been accomplished before: It was hard," he said.

"They did the hard thing. Theirs' was a profile in courage," Obama said about the representatives who lost their seat as a result of their support for the ACA. "Because of that vote, 20 million people got health insurance who didn't have it before."

"President Kennedy called on a new generation of Americans to give their talents to the service of the country," Kennedy's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, said in a statement. "With exceptional dignity and courage, President Obama has carried that torch into our own time, providing young people of all backgrounds with an example they can emulate in their own lives."

Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s only grandson, presented Obama with the award. The evening also included a performance by musician James Taylor and remarks by Caroline Kennedy, who Obama appointed ambassador to Japan.